Center for Strategic and International Studies / Syracuse University, 2014–present2.7

Personal life3

References4

External links5

Early life and education

O'Keefe was born in Monterey, California, to Patricia (née Carlin; died 2010) and Patrick Gordon O'Keefe (born c. 1927), both natives of New Orleans. Patrick O'Keefe became a United States Navy engineer and over the years worked on nuclear submarines.[6] The O'Keefes lived on several naval bases during O'Keefe's childhood.

Comptroller, U.S. Department of Defense 1989–1992

In 1989, O'Keefe became Comptroller for the Department of Defense. Dubbed by some "the Grim Reaper." he lead efforts to cut defense programs the Pentagon's senior leadership saw as unnecessary or wasteful[9] He was lauded for his handling of the financial aspects of the Gulf War managing to collect large payments from U.S. allies which significantly offset the cost of the war.[10]

Secretary of the Navy, 1992–1993

On July 7, 1992 President George H. W. Bush named him Acting Secretary of the Navy. He subsequently became permanent Secretary of the Navy and held that position until Bush left office on January 20, 1993. Although his time in office was less than seven months, it was eventful. Originally appointed to help clean up the "Tailhook" sexual harassment scandal, he also dealt with the draw down of Navy and Marine Corps forces in the wake of the end of the Cold War, and he issued a new strategy policy statement for the sea services called "...From the Sea."[11]

Deputy Director Office of Management and Budget

From January to December 2001, O'Keefe served as Deputy Director of the [12]

Administrator of NASA, 2001–2004

O'Keefe became NASA administrator on December 21, 2001 after the U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination. He came to NASA with a background of Secretary of the Navy and Director of OMB, and without formal training in science or engineering (as was the case with James E. Webb who NASA administrator from 1961 to 1968).[7] O'Keefe's tenure at NASA can be divided into roughly three equal periods, each marked by a single problem or event of overriding importance:

One of O'Keefe's most controversial decisions occurred in January 2004, when he cancelled an upcoming mission by the space shuttle to service the aging Hubble Space Telescope.[13][14][15] O'Keefe claimed that, in light of the Space Shuttle Columbia accident, the mission would be too risky, since any potential shuttle damage while visiting the Hubble, would mean insufficient fuel to dock with the space station as a "safe haven". While members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) supported this decision numerous astronomers felt that the Hubble telescope was valuable enough to merit the risk.[16][17]

In the buildup to the 2004 presidential election, a scuffle in the press occurred between O'Keefe and NASA climatologist James Hansen. In 2003, it was revealed, O'Keefe warned Hansen not to discuss humanity's role in global warming. "The administrator [Mr. O'Keefe] interrupted me," Dr. Hansen said in the New York Times, "he told me that I should not talk about dangerous anthropogenic interference, because we do not know enough or have enough evidence for what would constitute dangerous anthropogenic interference." O'Keefe's spokesperson said O'Keefe had not meant to admonish Hansen or suggest that research efforts should be cut. The New York Times reported that "Dr. Franco Einaudi, director of the NASA Earth Sciences Directorate at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and Dr. Hansen's supervisor, said he was at the meeting between Dr. Hansen and Mr. O'Keefe. Dr. Einaudi confirmed that Mr. O'Keefe had interrupted the presentation to say that these were "delicate issues" and there was a lot of uncertainty about them. But, he added: "Whether it is obvious to take that as an order or not is a question of judgment. Personally, I did not take it as an order."[18]

O'Keefe responded to President Bush's 'Vision for Exploration' by hiring retired Navy Admiral Craig E. Steidle who had previously led development of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) as an associate administrator in charge of the new 'Exploration Systems Mission Directorate' (ESMD). He developed a mission architecture for lunar exploration based on four launches of medium-lift vehicles and four space rendezvous per mission, which was immediately scrapped by Michael Griffin upon his arrival at NASA. NASA started over with the Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS), sixteen months after Bush's Vision for Space Exploration announcement. This led to the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles (later canceled) and the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle.

O'Keefe resigned on December 13, 2004.[19]

Asteroid 78905 Seanokeefe was named in honor of O'Keefe's NASA administratorship.[20]

Chancellor of Louisiana State University, 2005–2008

O’Keefe succeeded Mark Emmert on February 21, 2005. O'Keefe has been credited for establishing the Louisiana State University endowment through the $798 million "Forever LSU Campaign", his second campaign as LSU's Chancellor. He became popular among students for interacting with them, especially during periodic 'Chats with the Chancellor' across the campus throughout the semesters, and because of his encouraging emails. O’Keefe led LSU during its response to Hurricane Katrina in August and September 2005 when the campus was transformed into what has been called “the largest acute-care field hospital established in a contingency in the nation’s history.” On January 16, 2008, he announced that February 1, 2008 was his last day as chancellor.[21]

O'Keefe lightly discussed his membership in the exclusive San Francisco Bohemian Club that has a 15- to 20-year waiting list, with the Louisiana State University student newspaper The Daily Reveille. During July 2005, O'Keefe had traveled to visit the famous Bohemian Grove near San Francisco as a member of the 'Wayside Log camp'. The prior time in 1993 he was the guest of a member, one whom he later appointed to a NASA panel.[22]

Center for Strategic and International Studies / Syracuse University, 2014–present

In November 2014 the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) announced that O'Keefe had joinded CSIS as a Distinguished Senior Adviser.[30] Simultaneously Syracuse University announced that O'Keefe had been appointed as a University Professor.[31]

Encyclopedia Article

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